Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-09-02
An English Farmers Vile.

owes up at o'clock, fur yer must be
up betimes, the young poultry are soft,
and can't bide long whiles without food.
AT quarter to four steps out of my bed
Just sharp like, and sings out to my girls,
and they slips forth from bed as quick
as ever they may, and we jumps on with
our clothes and minds our beasts, what
ever it may be that God has given us to
look after. And then ut o'clock Bills
ton and all of us have breakfast. We
has homemade bread, aud there's bread
and milk for the gals; and we always
has slip of bacon on Sundays. After
we had breakfast" continued Mrs. Bills
ton, "master he bids they settle them
selves, and we all sits this wise-Polly
there and Tom yonder, and Bilston in
his arm chair" and the good woman
enumerated and showed me exactly
where each member of her family sat-
" Then the master he calls for the family
Bible, as belonged to his grandmother,
in which is written how his fathers sis
ter died when she was 4 years old; and
he begins at the first chapter of Genesis
and works right on forward like till the
book is ended, and then he starts and
begins again. He always reads one
chapter, and never no more and never
no less and when anything as he thinks
applies like he says to one of them, now
-, ,,I ,,,inI that lnI tn,v u
wench,' as the case may be; and then
when hehas said few words of learning
and minding we get up, and each of us
goes Off to his or her business. l churns
regular three times a week, and the girls
they get off to making the beds or scrub
bing, or may be to the calves or ponltry.
There's always work for the willing.
Then by 10 o'clock we're all in again
and after the gals and boys has made
themselves tidy-for can't do with no
dirt about their hands and faces at meal
while we sits down; and we has most
times broth, and rice or sagy pudding,
and winter times an apple tart, or, for
a treat, a jam roll and there's glass of
cider for Bilston and the men, and there's
milk for the gals. And after we've done
that's saying when ali's have eaten up
clean and neat whatever father and my
self has a-given them-we goes out, all
but Polly who clears away and washes
up and puts back all the pewter; then
we minds the beasts again till O'Clock,
when we comes in and has tea, which /
keeps in the tea-caddy as my mother
a-gave me when married, and which !
always keep locked-for l won't have
no triiling with the tea; and after tea
we drives in the poultry to roost, aud
we stalls the calves and such like 'ne-lI
beasts for the night. And after thai
the gals come, and they ouI with then
needle and thread and TO make the
work 80 merry we sing such songs as
used to learn betime5 when was "a chit
such as Cherry Ripe, Little Boy Blue,
and Sally in our Alley and all the
while we darn fathers stockingr or max,
the boys now shirts, OF may be the girls
make their own gowns-but wont have
no furbelows nor bunching about behind
or before, as such-llke folly only hin
ders their gait and makes them vaiI
with flppery. Then there's often the
sheets to mend or the under-linen tc
put to rights. And always keep then
sweet with lavendy, as it does body
good to smell and seem well and pleas
ant-iike for any one in bed. AT o O'CLOCK
we all get TO bed, and goes round room
at the half hour, for / won't stand NJ
candles burning after such whiles, for i
be danger to tho house ard folly L
themselves" s."-The Nineteenh Century.